Fire resistant rigid foam construction panel

ABSTRACT

A fire resistant rigid foam construction panel, includes a rigid foam insulation core. The rigid foam insulation core has an inside face, an outside face, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first end and a second end. At least one fire rated facing sheet is secured by adhesive to the inside face of the core. At least one fire rated facing sheet secured by adhesive to the outside face of the core. Fire rated cover strips are positioned at all joints, such that all of the inside face and all of the outside face of the core are covered by fire rated materials.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a rigid foam construction panel, whichhas sufficient fire resistance to obtain a fire rating.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,633,634 (Nemmer et al 1987) and 5,722,198 (Bader 1989),along with Canadian Patent 2,363,216 are examples of rigid foamconstruction panels. These panels have minimal fire resistance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a fire resistantrigid foam construction panel, which includes a rigid foam insulationcore. The rigid foam insulation core has an inside face, an outsideface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first end and a second end. At leastone fire rated facing sheet is secured by adhesive to the inside face ofthe core. At least one fire rated facing sheet secured by adhesive tothe outside face of the core. Fire rated cover strips are positioned atall joints, such that all of the inside face and all of the outside faceof the core are covered by fire rated materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent fromthe following description in which reference is made to the appendeddrawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and arenot intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to theparticular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view, in section, of a fire rated rigid foaminsulation construction panel fabricated in accordance with theteachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed top plan view, in section, of the fire rated rigidfoam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a truncated end elevation view, in section, of the fire ratedrigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a detailed end elevation view of an end plate used with thefire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover stripused with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated inFIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an inside corner coverstrip used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an outside corner coverstrip used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover stripwith a raised topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover stripwith recessed topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover stripwith recessed topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover stripwith recessed topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment, a fire rated rigid foam insulationconstruction panel generally identified by reference numeral 10, willnow be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 11.

Structure and Relationship of Parts:

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown fire resistant rigid foamconstruction panel 10, including a rigid foam insulation core 12 thathas an inside face 14, an outside face 16, a first end 22, and a secondend 24. A fire rated end plate 26 covers first end 22 and second end 24of core 12. Referring to FIG. 3, core 12 also includes a top edge 18 anda bottom edge 20. A fire rated top plate 28 covers top edge 18 of core12, and a fire rated bottom plate 30 covers bottom edge 20 of core 12.Referring again to FIG. 1 there are fire rated facing sheets 32 securedby adhesive to inside face 14 and outside face 16 of core 12. It ispreferrable that each facing sheet 32 be made from a cementiousmaterial, which may be fibre reinforced for additional strength. Inaddition, fire rated cover strips 34 are positioned at all joints 36,such that all of inside face 14 and all of outside face 16 is covered byfire rated materials.

As depicted, more than one facing sheet 32 is used to cover each ofinside face 14 and outside face 16, where facing sheets 32 are in end toend relation, with fire rated cover strip 34 covering joints 36 betweenfacing sheets 32 being a fire rated abutting cover strip 34 secured byadhesive to core 12. Referring to FIG. 5, abutting cover strip 38comprises a body 40 defining a first shoulder 42 adapted to engage anedge 44A of a first facing sheet 32A, a second shoulder 46 parallel andopposed to first shoulder 42, where second shoulder 46 is adapted toengage an edge 44B of second facing sheet 32B, a first wing 50projecting beyond first shoulder 42 and adapted to underlie first facingsheet 32A when it is engaged with first shoulder 42, and a second wing52 projecting beyond second shoulder 46 and adapted to underlie secondfacing sheet 32B when it is engaged with second shoulder 46.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, end plate 26, top plate 28, and bottom plate30 each have an outer face 54, an inner face 56, a first peripheral sideedge 58 and a second peripheral side edge 60. A fastener retainingbacking material 61 is positioned along inner face 56 of each. End plate26, top plate 28, and bottom plate 30 also have a first backing plate 62spaced from first peripheral side edge 58 and extending perpendicularlyfrom inner face 56. A first shoulder 64 is provided on inner face 56between first peripheral side edge 56 and first backing plate 62. Firstshoulder 64 is adapted to engage an edge 44 facing sheet. A secondbacking plate 68 is spaced from second peripheral side edge 60 andextends perpendicularly from inner face 56. A second shoulder 70 isprovided on inner face 56 end plate between second peripheral side edge60 and second backing plate 68. Second shoulder 70 is adapted to engagean edge 44 of facing sheet 32.

Referring now to FIG. 6, inside face 16 in FIG. 1 includes an insidecorner that is covered by an inside corner cover strip 74 secured byadhesive to core 12 acting as fire rated cover strip 34, and coversjoint 36 between two facing sheets 32A and 32B in perpendicularrelation. Inside corner cover strip 74 includes a body 76 defining afirst shoulder 78 adapted to engage an edge 44A of first facing sheet32A, and a second shoulder 80 parallel and perpendicular to firstshoulder 78 and adapted to engage an edge 44B of second facing sheet32B. A first wing 82 projects beyond first shoulder 78 and is adapted tounderlie first facing sheet 32A when it is engaged with first shoulder78, and a second wing 84 projects beyond second shoulder 80perpendicular to first wing 82 and adapted to underlie second facingsheet 32B when it is engaged with second shoulder 80.

Referring now to FIG. 7, outside face 18 in FIG. 1 includes an outsidecorner that is covered by an outside corner cover strip 88 secured byadhesive to core 12 acting as fire rated cover strip 34, and coversjoint 36 between two facing sheets 32A and 32B in perpendicularrelation. Outside corner cover strip 88 includes body 90 defining afirst shoulder 92 adapted to engage edge 44A of facing sheet 32A, asecond shoulder 94 parallel and perpendicular to first shoulder 92 andadapted to engage edge 44B of second facing sheet 32B. A first wing 96projects beyond first shoulder 92 and is adapted to underlie firstfacing sheet 32A when it is engaged with first shoulder 92, and a secondwing 98 projects beyond second shoulder 94 perpendicular to first wing96 and is adapted to underlie second facing sheet 32B when it is engagedwith second shoulder 94.

Referring now to FIG. 8, abutting cover strip 38 may have a raisedtopographical profile 108 positioned between first shoulder 42 andsecond shoulder 46, such as an arcuate ridge as depicted. Referring nowto FIGS. 9 through 11, abutting cover strip 38 can also have a recessedtopographical profile 100 positioned between first shoulder 42 andsecond shoulder 46 shaped as an arcuate channel 104 as shown in FIG. 9,a rectangular channel 102 as shown in FIG. 10, or a “V” channel 106 asshown in FIG. 11.

As depicted in FIGS. 5 through 11, cover strips 34 are all recessed intocore 12 such that a flush surface is provided. It will be understoodthat other methods are available that do not require recessing into core12, however, it is believed that this feature provides a suitablebalancing of interests between convenience, stability, and appearance.

Operation:

The use of fire resistant rigid foam construction panel 10 will now bediscussed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 11. Referring now to FIG. 3,top edge 18 of rigid foam insulation core 12 is covered by fire ratedtop plate 28, bottom edge 20 by fire rated bottom plate 30, and,referring again to FIG. 1, first end 22 and second end 24 are eachcovered by fire rated end plates 26. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, endplate 26, top plate 28, and bottom plate 30 are attached to facingsheets 32 by abutting edge 44 to either a first shoulder 64 or a secondshoulder 70, with first backing plate 62 or second backing plate 68underlying facing sheet 32. Referring again to FIG. 1, facing sheets 32are secured by adhesive to rigid foam insulation core 12. At each joint36 of facing sheets 32, fire rated cover strips 34 are used. Referringto FIG. 5, abutting cover strip 38 is used if facing sheets 32A and 32Bare abutting. First shoulder 42 engages edge 44A of facing sheet 32A,and first wing 50 underlies facing sheet 32A. Second shoulder 46 thenengages 44B of facing sheet 32B, and second wing 52 underlies facingsheet 32B. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, inside corner cover strip 74 andoutside corner cover strip 88 are used at joints 36 of facing sheets 32Aand 32B at inside and outside corners, respectively. Inside corner coverstrip 74 and outside cover strip 88 attach to facing sheets 32A and 32Bin a manner similar to abutting cover strips 38.

Variations:

The preferred embodiment has been described with reference to rigid foaminsulation core 12 that is formed before construction. It will beunderstood that an injection process may also be used to form insulationcore 12, where facing sheets 32 are first attached to cover strips 32,end plates 26, top plate 28 and bottom plate 30, or as many are requiredto make a solid form, and then a polyurethane resin or the like isinjected into the form. The injected resin will preferably have adhesivequalities, such that, when it cures, it will adhere to facing sheets 32,cover strips 32, and plates 26, 28, and 30. Also, fasteners may berequired by the building code in addition to the adhesive depending onthe location and use of the present invention.

Cautionary Warnings:

The preferred embodiment discloses end plates, a top plate, and a bottomplate. While these additional details are preferred, they are notessential. The top edge of the panel will always be covered in thecourse of construction, making the top plate non-essential. Similarly,the bottom edge of the panel will always be covered in the course ofconstruction, making the bottom plate non-essential. Where there areabutting facing sheets, end plates are non-essential, as long as thejoint between the facing sheets is covered with a fire rated coverstrip. However, by having all surfaces of the panel covered with firerated materials, one can be confident that the panels is suitable forall installations. This eliminates the possibility of errors being madeby personnel during installation.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in itsnon-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included,but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to anelement by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibilitythat more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearlyrequires that there be one and only one of the elements.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may bemade to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the Claims.

1. A fire resistant rigid foam construction panel, comprising: a rigidfoam insulation core having an inside face, an outside face, a top edge,a bottom edge, a first end and a second end; at least one fire ratedfacing sheet secured by adhesive to the inside face of the core; atleast one fire rated facing sheet secured by adhesive to the outsideface of the core; and fire rated cover strips positioned at all joints,such that all of the inside face and all of the outside face are coveredby fire rated materials.
 2. The fire rated rigid foam construction panelas defined in claim 1, wherein a fire rated end plate covers each of thefirst end and the second end of the core.
 3. The fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein a fire rated top platecovers the top edge of the core.
 4. The fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein a fire rated bottomplate covers the bottom edge of the core.
 5. The fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein each facing sheet ismade from a cementious material.
 6. The fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel as defined in claim 5, wherein the cementiousmaterial is fibre reinforced.
 7. The fire rated rigid foam constructionpanel as defined in claim 1, wherein there is more than one facing sheetcovering each of the inside face and the outside face, the facing sheetsbeing in end to end relation with the fire rated cover strips betweenthe facing sheets being a fire rated abutting cover strip secured byadhesive to the core, the abutting cover strip comprising a bodydefining a first shoulder adapted to engage an edge of a first facingsheet, a second shoulder parallel and opposed to the first shoulder, thesecond shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of a second facingsheet, a first wing projecting beyond the first shoulder and adapted tounderlie the first facing sheet when it is engaged with the firstshoulder, and a second wing projecting beyond the second shoulder andadapted to underlie the second facing sheet when it is engaged with thesecond shoulder.
 8. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel asdefined in claim 2, the end plate having an outer face, an inner face, afirst peripheral side edge and a second peripheral side edge, a firstbacking plate being spaced from the first peripheral side edge andextending perpendicularly from the inner face of the end plate, a firstshoulder being provided on the inner face of the end plate between thefirst peripheral side edge and the first backing plate, the firstshoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets, asecond backing plate being spaced from the second peripheral side edgeand extending perpendicularly from the inner face of the end plate, asecond shoulder being provided on the inner face of the end platebetween the second peripheral side edge and the second backing plate,the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facingsheets.
 9. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined inclaim 3, the top plate having an outer face, an inner face, a firstperipheral side edge and a second peripheral side edge, a first backingplate being spaced from the first peripheral side edge and extendingperpendicularly from the inner face of the top plate, a first shoulderbeing provided on the inner face of the top plate between the firstperipheral side edge and the first backing plate, the first shoulderbeing adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets, a secondbacking plate being spaced from the second peripheral side edge andextending perpendicularly from the inner face of the top plate, a secondshoulder being provided on the inner face of the top plate between thesecond peripheral side edge and the second backing plate, the secondshoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets.10. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 4,the bottom plate having an outer face, an inner face, a first peripheralside edge and a second peripheral side edge, a first backing plate beingspaced from the first peripheral side edge and extending perpendicularlyfrom the inner face of the bottom plate, a first shoulder being providedon the inner face of the bottom plate between the first peripheral sideedge and the first backing plate, the first shoulder being adapted toengage an edge of one of the facing sheets, a second backing plate beingspaced from the second peripheral side edge and extendingperpendicularly from the inner face of the bottom plate, a secondshoulder being provided on the inner face of the bottom plate betweenthe second peripheral side edge and the second backing plate, the secondshoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets.11. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1,wherein the inside face includes an inside corner having two facingsheets in perpendicular relation, the fire rated cover strip being aninside corner cover strip secured by adhesive to the core, the insidecorner cover strip comprising a body defining a first shoulder adaptedto engage an edge of a first facing sheet, a second shoulder paralleland perpendicular to the first shoulder, the second shoulder beingadapted to engage an edge of a second facing sheet, a first wingprojecting beyond the first shoulder and adapted to underlie the firstfacing sheet when it is engaged with the first shoulder, and a secondwing projecting beyond the second shoulder perpendicular to the firstwing and adapted to underlie the second facing sheet when it is engagedwith the second shoulder.
 12. The fire rated rigid foam constructionpanel as defined in claim 1, wherein the outside face includes anoutside corner having two facing sheets in perpendicular relation, thefire rated cover strip being an outside corner cover strip secured byadhesive to the core, the outside corner cover strip comprising a bodydefining a first shoulder adapted to engage an edge of a first facingsheet, a second shoulder parallel and perpendicular to the firstshoulder, the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of asecond facing sheet, a first wing projecting beyond the first shoulderand adapted to underlie the first facing sheet when it is engaged withthe first shoulder, and a second wing projecting beyond the secondshoulder perpendicular to the first wing and adapted to underlie thesecond facing sheet when it is engaged with the second shoulder.
 13. Thefire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 7, whereinthe abutting cover strip has a recessed topographical profile positionedbetween the first shoulder and the second shoulder.
 14. The fire ratedrigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 13, wherein therecessed topographical profile is selected from one of a rectangularchannel, an arcuate channel, a “V” channel.
 15. The fire rated rigidfoam construction panel as defined in claim 7, wherein the abuttingcover strip has a raised topographical profile positioned between thefirst shoulder and the second shoulder.
 16. The fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel as defined in claim 15, wherein the raisedtopographical profile is an arcuate ridge.
 17. The fire rated rigid foamconstruction panel as defined in claim 8, wherein a fastener retainingbacking material is positioned along the inner face of the end plate.18. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 9,wherein a fastener retaining backing material is positioned along theinner face of the top plate.
 19. The fire rated rigid foam constructionpanel as defined in claim 10, wherein a fastener retaining backingmaterial is positioned along the inner face of the bottom plate.